Disparate Jedi
by ardavenport
Summary: Obi-Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn share accommodations with their fellow Jedi on a trip back to Coruscant and assist in the mission of another Master and Padawan. Obi-Wan's POV.
1. Chapter 1

**Disparate Jedi**

by ardavenport

**- - Part 1 - -**

Obi-Wan Kenobi lost sight of Qui-Gon Jinn in the crowd.

Four large, burly creatures carrying heavy luggage on their shoulders muscled their way in front of Obi-Wan. Then a gaggle of chirping tourists in loose, colorful dresses and wielding holo-recorders and shade umbrellas. A family of three adults and ten children. Two droids guiding a lifter cart of luggage. Single females, males and unidentifiables of various species. A smattering of weary travel veterans pushed through toward docking bays that they come and gone through many tines.

Nearly all of them seemed to be taller than Obi-Wan. His steps slowed as he continued to find his way through the jostling bodies. The speech of many species and machines rumbled together into an unintelligible background that filled the open area of the Limostos Spaceport.

Obi-Wan's focus divided between his awareness of the crowd around him and keeping himself moving toward Qui-Gon. That direction felt subtly different to him through the Force. A driver steered a long, low lifter in front of him and Obi-Wan spied his Master's head and dark brown robe moving toward their destination. Obi-Wan hurried around the lifter and quickened his steps.

He had nearly caught up with Qui-Gon when he turned into a wide corridor. They passed under a sign directing them toward docking bays 243-p'wa thru 324-p'wa. The crowds were a little thicker as they passed by food kiosks and stores selling travel trinkets and supplies. News holos and music entertainments murmured under the noise of motion and talking and commerce.

271-p'wa. . . . 272-p'wa. . . . 273-p'wa. . . .274-p'wa.

Even before they got to their destination, Obi-Wan spotted Master Narimoyak's horned head by the bay entry. A tall shiny silver droid scanned the IDs of passengers as they entered an open bay door. Beyond, they could see a large, orange and bronze transport ship, its boxy body dominated by the enormous hyperspace engines at its rear. Another silver droid at the ramp gave directions and occasionally helped with the belongings of the line of passengers. Round-bodied droids ferried luggage up through another ramp, further down on the ship.

Narimoyak turned, spotting them, and nodded as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan approached. They bowed. Qui-Gon looked around curiously.

"Where is Master Tekta? We were instructed to meet her."

Narimoyak sighed. "She's not here yet." She gestured toward a very slight girl wearing a short, tan and blue dress under a light brown Jedi robe. "This is her Padawan, Kokom. Apparently she has been delayed by something." The girl bobbed toward Qui-Gon. Her scaly skin was a pretty shade of green, her eyes a bright blue like the sky in an oxygen-rich atmosphere. She was very small and thin. The tops of her two eye stalks barely came up to Qui-Gon's chest.

"Master Tekta said that we shouldn't wait for her to board," Kokom said in a high, clear voice. Obi-Wan spotted the flick of a thin, green tail between Kokom's ankles. Qui-Gon looked inquiringly at Narimoyak.

"I don't understand it either," she replied, shaking her head. "We were told to come here and meet her for this transport as well. And give her any assistance she requires. That was all." Narimoyak was a tall, elegant Zabrak, with brown skin, lined with age, ivory-yellow horns and long, claw-like nails. Her pale brown eyes went to another being standing with them. He was an Ithok, or some related species, with thick, rough, but pale skin with dark brown horns that pointed downward from the sides of his head. Plain, stringy brown hair was combed back from the crown and sides of his head, except for a Padawan's braid, much longer than Obi-Wan's, woven with beads and colored bands.

"This is my Padawan, Dyuda Plum." He inclined his head toward them, his horns dipping before him. He wore a dark brown robe, like Qui-Gon's, over brown Jedi tunics, pants and boots. The edge of his robe partially covered a silver and gold lightsaber. Narimoyak wore the usual tunics that Obi-Wan remembered her wearing, a long, light brown tunic that went down to her ankles, brown boots stuck out under the hem. Her obi and the single, wide stole that hung down past her knees were a lighter, off-white and her long lightsaber was mostly silver.

Obi-Wan looked down at Kokom again, and her very un-Jedi-like attire. Narimoyak noticed his gaze and smiled.

"Apparently, Tekta and Kokum spent some time on the equatorial islands here and less formal dress was required. And they did not have time to change before coming here." Narimoyak's voice was low, full and feminine. "And," she continued. "This is Kokom's first mission. She has been Tekta's Padawan for. . . .43 days now, I believe." Narimoyak laid her hand on the girl's slender shoulder. Kokom's head lowered, her mouth puckered with embarrassment. Knowing exactly how she must feel, Obi-Wan kept his features neutral. At seventeen standard years, he was less often the youngest Padawan in a group of Jedi, but those memories were still fresh enough to make him sympathetic toward the girl.

"We should...board now," Kokom said, nodding to them all.

Narimoyak agreed and they went together to the bay door. After the first droid cleared them, they joined the line at the ramp.

"Do we know what assistance Master Tekta requires?" Qui-Gon asked as they slowly paced forward.

"No we don't." Narimoyak answered. Kokom glanced up at her, but didn't speak. "Apparently, Tekta is trying to meet someone before we leave. If she is successful, then our assistance will not be needed after all."

"What was your mission, Padawan?" Qui-Gon asked Kokom.

"We were given a special assignment by the Jedi Council," she answered solemnly, her large, blue eyes steadily looked back up at the much larger Jedi Master. For a moment, Obi-Wan was afraid that Qui-Gon would demand more, but he merely frowned and silently accepted the answer. 'Special assignments' were not discussed unless necessary.

Obi-Wan looked down at Kokom, and wondered why a 'special assignment' would be given to a Master with such a new Padawan.

The ramp droid cleared them and gave them their compartment assignment. It asked if they wished to take their travel packs. The four of them, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, Narimoyak and Dyuda had travel backpacks. They all declined. They went up the ramp and followed another silver ship droid down a corridor. It was well lit, with soft, yellow-tinted lights and gleaming bronze fixtures. Their reservations (made by either Tekta or the Council) entitled them to a private compartment, much nicer than the cheaper, more crowded passenger areas of the ship. They entered a spacious room, with seven plush seats, arranged in semi-circle around a low gold-topped table.

After they all put their travel packs into the storage shelves by the door, Narimoyak slid in around the table to sit next to the compartment's viewport. Dyuda sat next to her. Then Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon on the end. Kokom took a seat opposite them, the two remaining empty seats on either side of her. Her eye stalks nervously stood up straight from the top of her head as she faced her elders.

Obi-Wan could practically recite the calming exercise that she was so obviously repeating to herself. Kokom's eye stalks lowered; she put the hood of her robe up and folded her tiny arms before her; they disappeared into the sleeves. Narimoyak pulled the hood of her robe up over her horned head and folded her arms before her as well. Then Qui-Gon did the same thing.

Obi-Wan looked at Dyuda, who calmly looked back with dark green eyes.

"Did you have to good trip here?" Dyuda asked in a very deep voice. This was the first time Obi-Wan had heard him speak.

"Um, yes. It was fine." There had been nothing special, good or bad, about their last transport. The travel had been entirely forgettable.

"Hm. Ours was bit of a rush." Dyuda went on. "We had barely finished when we got the call to come over here. No explanation at all. Just go."

"Our transport had stopped here on the way to Coruscant, and we got a message to take this one. Nothing else," Obi-Wan told him.

Dyuda looked resigned. "I don‛t really mind, I suppose. Not knowing." He smiled. He had very small, brown-stained teeth. "But I do feel that we might be more effective if we knew what we were being sent to do."

Obi-Wan grinned and agreed. Then his smile faded; they both looked forward again and the room lapsed into a wordless silence that seemed to emanate from the two Masters on either side of them. Obi-Wan sensed that Kokom was slightly less nervous, across the table from them. Dyuda settled back in his seat next to him.

Obi-Wan knew very little about Dyuda Plum, other than what he had read recently in a Temple notice. Mixed in with notes about Coruscant traffic, infants and small children taken into the Temple, Knightings, elevations to Master and maintenance schedules in the lower levels, had been one item that had caught his attention; Master Narimoyak had taken Dyuda Plum as her Padawan Learner after the death of his first Master. There had been no details other than the deceased Master's name, and nothing was said about Narimoyak, who had been rescued by Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan from a transport ship crash that had killed her own young Padawan nearly two years ago.

Dyuda was an older, senior Padawan, of an age when many took their Trials to Knighthood, but he had been paired with Narimoyak instead. Though he would not say anything, Obi-Wan wondered about the recent loss of Dyuda Plum's first Master, and that he had been paired with a Master whose own Padawan had died. There were no visible scars of sudden tragedy, no wounds of grief that he could sense through the Force, but Obi-Wan knew they had to be there. Jedi were supposed to live without attachments, so those who died were let go to pass into the Force, but they still left marks of emotion in their wake. Qui-Gon had gravely said that letting go did not mean being unchanged. Lacking his Master's detachment about the future, Obi-Wan wondered what hidden changes he would bear were he in Dyuda's place.

"What was your mission?" Obi-Wan asked Plum tentatively.

"We were assigned to be arbiters on Tumak 37," Dyuda answered. "They had recently convicted a significant crime lord, and a wealthy one. The division of the spoils was so acrimonious among the interested parties that it was supposed to threaten the de-stabilization of the whole government." Plum shook his head. "That was an over-exaggeration, but they did benefit from our counsel, I think," he finished in his low, resonant voice. "You mission?"

Obi-Wan shrugged. "We were the observers at the Passing of the Custodianship of the Living History Lands on Pozph-Din." The bridge of Dyuda's nose crinkled; he obviously didn't recognize the reference; Obi-Wan knew he wouldn't have before this mission. "It's outside the Republic. Darth Yarr was defeated there." He named an ancient Sith. Dyuda's eyes widened.

"Aaaaah. So for their Living History Lands, they asked for Living Jedi?" Obi-Wan nodded. Next to him, he sensed a tiny bit of discomfort from his Master. The Ritual of Passing, though far from traumatic, had been. . . . interesting. Obi-Wan pressed his lips together, hoping that Qui-Gon did not think that he would speak of any of the details in such a casual setting, even to another Jedi.

A gentle chime sounded. The door to their compartment slid open.

"There you all are," Tekta's loud voice declared from the doorway. She stood, bundled up in her brown robe, her three, raised eyes looking at them from under the edge of the hood. She entered and headed for the empty seat next to the viewport, across from Narimoyak. He Padawan hastily pulled her legs up and scrunched back into her seat to let her Master pass.

"Were you successful then, Tekta?" Narimoyak asked, the hood of her own robe turning toward her friend. Obi-Wan knew that the two older Masters had known each other for years, though he and Qui-Gon only knew them in passing.

"Absolutely," Tekta announced as she settled her full brown robe around her. "All taken care of." She tugged her hood up over her eyes and settled back in the plush seat, her arms folded before her. Everyone looked Tekta.

"And?" Narimoyak pursued. Qui-Gon moved in his seat, clearly just as interested at everyone else.

"If you are so curious, you are all quite at liberty to ask the Council about it when we get back," Tekta told them. Narimoyak sat back, away from the rebuke, her expression cloaked under her hood. Apparently their friendship did not invite any confidences about missions for the Council. Or even politeness.

Qui-Gon settled back in his seat. Obi-Wan and Dyuda silently looked at each other. The Ithok then sighed, accepting their ignorance, the tips of his dark horns going past his shoulders as he shook his head. The tension level in Kokom, motionless across the table from them, increased.

The door chime sounded again.

Obi-Wan and Dyuda looked up.

A stout woman in a pink business suit with pale orange and gold trim stared at them from the doorway.

"Um, is this the last seat, then?" she asked the shiny ship droid at her side.

"Yes, Madam. All the other first class compartments are taken. There are some accommodations in the coach areas, if you would prefer, but we cannot refund the difference in your ticket at such a late time," it informed her in a pleasant machine voice.

The woman nervously eyed the one empty seat in their compartment.

"No, I don't think so. This will be fine." She entered. The dull gold-plated door slid shut behind her. She put a pink and gold travel case next to the plain brown and gray Jedi packs in the open storage shelf and then took her seat. She was accompanied by a faint, floral aroma of perfume.

Obi-Wan carefully didn't stare at her, though his glance toward Dyuda showed that his fellow Padawan was just as confused as he was.

There was absolutely nothing unusual about the new arrival. She was shorter than Obi-Wan, but not by much and while she was heavy set, she wore an attractive tailored suit. From her appearance, she was in her late, middle years for a humanoid. Her short, wavy gold hair was silvered with a touch of age. Her facial make-up matched her clothing in subtle tones of pinks and gave her an appearance of authority without any attempt to look younger. She was as well dressed as any business traveler or Coruscant official Obi-Wan had ever seen. She was exactly the sort of person they would expect to see in a first class compartment, except for one thing.

She was afraid of them.

It was a deep fear of. . . . exposure, like a person unexpectedly stuck at a party full of telepaths. It was common knowledge that Jedi could sense thoughts and feelings through the Force, but there were plenty of other species with stronger talents. Anyone with a secret to hide and going into a crowded spaceport, would have enough personal discipline to not give themselves away to any casual thought reading.

Obi-Wan had encountered this sort of fear before; all Jedi had. Jedi were recognized as keepers of justice in the Republic and some people automatically reacted that way to any authority figure, whether they had done anything or not. And even if they had done something, it was usually something that a Jedi wouldn't care about. Many people over-estimated the importance of their actions to the people around them.

Sitting next to the woman, Kokom had picked up the fear and her nervousness had gone back up. The young girl sat rigidly forward, tensely not moving.

The ship's open com announced that they were about to lift off. A moment later it did, with a quiet rumble that could be felt from the body of the ship through the floor and the seat. Shortly after that, Obi-Wan saw black space and bright stars outside the viewport. The ship cruised out of orbit and then jumped to hyperspace.

The door chimed again. After a pause, the door of the compartment slid open.

"May I take your orders for refreshment?" the silver droid asked.

"Yes," the woman answered immediately. Her fear had ebbed; she had apparently accepted their presence. She asked for a strong caf and a light meal of soup and wafers.

Narimoyak pulled her hood back off her horned head and asked for pressed cana sticks, micana butter and juice. Dyuda asked for a full meal of stew, salad and water. Qui-Gon asked for sapir tea, pate sandwiches and plin-sugar cookies. Obi-Wan asked for edut bread and sliced meils, with juice.

"Padawan, would you like anything?" Narimoyak asked Kokom after a noticeable pause. Her Master sat in the corner, a bundle of slumped brown robe, faint, heavy breathing coming from it. Kokom's hood went from side to side, a silent negative. Narimoyak tilted her head with a curious expression, but said no more. The droid hurried off, the door sliding behind it.

"Are you going to Coruscant on business, or returning?" Narimoyak asked the woman in the pink suit. The expression on the elder Jedi Master's was mild and friendly. The woman started.

"Oh, aah, I'm returning actually. I finished my business here," she answered before straightening her suit jacket.

"As are we," Narimoyak continued. "Pardon me, I am Narimoyak, and this is Dyuda." Her Padawan silently nodded his horned head.

"Oh, yes, of course." The woman's eyes darted over the whole row of Jedi facing her. "I'm sorry. I am really not usually this nervous. But. . . . this all seems just so awkward." Her confidence seemed to grow with each word, as if the act of speaking gave her strength.

"Awkward?" Narimoyak asked, curious.

"Well, yes, actually. You're all Jedi," she gestured at them. Next to her, Kokom covertly watched her from under her hood. "It's rather obvious. And I've dealt with your affairs for years now, but I've hardly ever spent any time with any of you."

"Our affairs?" Now Narimoyak was confused.

"Oh yes." She nodded to herself. "Quite a bit sometimes." Dyuda, Narimoyak and Obi-Wan looked at each other then back at the woman in the pink suit.

"It seems so odd for me to say this, but. . . . I'm your lawyer."

**- - end Part 1 - -**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disparate Jedi**

by ardavenport

**- - Part 2 - -**

Narimoyak stared back at the woman.

"Forgive me," she continued. "I'm Administrator Gelemas Toolay. I'm Director of Trademark Enforcement for the Central Government of the Republic." The office meant nothing to Obi-Wan though it sounded official enough. Dyuda's face was completely neutral, but Narimoyak still looked confused.

"Oh, I know it sounds much grander than it is." Administrator Toolay's nervousness had completely vanished, as if the confession of her mid-level government position had absolved her of all guilt. "It's really a minor department in the Republic Judiciary. We handle all the Trademark enforcement for the Senate and Courts, the Chancellor's office, all of the Executive, in fact, the Judiciary, of course, and. . . . the Jedi Order."

Narimoyak blinked. "The Jedi Order has trademarks?"

"Yes. We do," Dyuda Plum's low voice affirmed. On Obi-Wan's other side, Qui-Gon Jinn finally stirred to look toward the Ikto Padawan.

"Along with the name of the Jedi Order, all associated mottos and phrases are trademarked as well. And all interior and exterior holos of the Temple. Likenesses, artwork and images of any Jedi, living or dead, may only be used for educational or other non-commercial purposes. And the Jedi Code is copyrighted under Republic Law and through any trade agreements shared with non-Republic entities. And all of it is enforced through your Office, I believe." Dyuda inclined his head toward the Administrator, his dark horns dipping before him.

"Oh," Toolay smiled, obviously pleased by Plum's knowledge. "You must be familiar with the Extra-Governmental-Entities Department, and Sub-Administrator Lubus?" Dyuda nodded with a sad smile. Master Narimoyak looked at her Padawan with astonishment.

"Master Yumang sometimes served as liaison between the Jedi Order and Republic Judiciary," he replied, naming his previous master.

"Ooooh." Toolay put her hand to her face, her expression transforming to concern. Her pink nails matched her suit. "Is he the one who was sick?" Plum nodded. "I am so sorry for your loss. Oh, I know you're not supposed to think of it as a loss at all, but I can't imagine he won't be missed. It was so unexpected."

"Master Yumang was the most surprised of all by his illness, and his decline was. . . . unfortunate." Obi-Wan saw Narimoyak carefully watching her Padawan as he spoke, but his voice was as calm as it had been when he had ordered lunch, though Obi-Wan detected a current of sadness through the Force.

"Was it any business of the Jedi Order that brought you to Tamet?" Dyuda asked, changing the subject.

Toolay sat back in her seat. "Well, actually it was. I hardly ever have to do anything other than personnel actions and approve the budget for that department. And it has been awhile since I've had to do any legal footwork myself, but this time. . . ."

Administer Toolay told them about a large and successful manufacturer, prominent on the world they had just left, Tamet. Among the many products that this consortium of companies produced were security systems. The consortium's marketing board had thought that a good way to advertise one of their newer products was to use the slogan, "So secure, it can defeat a Jedi." Toolay gave a little when she repeated this.

None of the Jedi around the table returned her laugh. Toolay moved on with the story.

The consortium's executive board, a body of apparently brilliant and determined individuals, had gone so far as to use their political connections to try to get a couple of Jedi to bolster their slogan for their advertising campaign. That had been when the Jedi Temple had found out and immediately contacted the Judiciary to terminate the whole business.

"I couldn't just send Lubus for this one, since the Fla'athed Consortium has quite a lot of visibility and government contracts." She sighed. The Jedi remained expressionless. Next to her, Kokom remained perfectly still, but attentive under her robe. "It wasn't all that difficult to shut them down. As soon as I walked into the meeting I could see that all their department heads knew that it was bad idea and they were just aching to find a way to get out of it without getting the company board mad at them. You would think that their bosses would have had enough intelligence in the first place to realize that."

The door to their compartment opened. The droid entered with their food. All conversation ceased as the droid efficiently laid out the various items from its tray and left with a reminder that they were free to call for service at any time before reaching orbit over Coruscant.

All of the dishes were beautifully presented and garnished. Obi-Wan's edut bread and meils also came with pieces of fruit and vegetable, carved into flowers, and his juice was chilled in a large, decorative cryst-plast drinking cylinder with a sparkly sipping straw. Qui-Gon poured his tea from an elegant golden teapot decorated with a swirling silver pattern at the base. The aromas of food and drink made Obi-Wan more hungry and he finished his first slices of bread and meils in a few bites.

"Well," Toolay resumed her story. "It wasn't very difficult at all to end this scheme to use Jedi to sell Fla'athed's security systems. Their lawyers did not put up much of a fight; they knew the whole idea was ridiculous, too." She sipped her caf from a white, glossy thin-plast cup with a golden handle.

"I am pleased to hear that your mission was successful," Qui-Gon said, stirring his tea. "I would not look favorably on becoming an advertising icon." Toolay laughed.

"Then I am happy to be of service to the Jedi," she said, picking up her spoon. "I assume that you were all successful in your missions as well?"

"Reasonably successful, "Dyuda agreed. "At least, the missions we know about." His eyes flicked toward Tekta's robe, but he said nothing else. "We're just returning to the Temple on Coruscant."

"Oh." Toolay nodded. "I've seen it of course, but not the inside, except through holos. You Jedi hardly ever allow visitors, even for business," she noted over her soup. She snapped a wafer into it.

"The Jedi Temple is sacred ground," Qui-Gon explained. "Visitors can be disruptive in unexpected ways."

"It is best to avoid those problems in the first place," Narimoyak agreed. Obi-Wan silently ate a flower-shaped vegetable.

"Visitors are allowed at the procession way and at the formal entrance at the base. There are small halls there designated for meeting visitors." Dyuda pointed out, lowering his stew scoop. "Master Yumang and Master Zazan would use them whenever the Sector Ecology Sub-Committee wanted to argue over the Temple's quotas."

"I didn't know Master Yumang was liaison for that." Holding a cana stick, Narimoyak looked at her Padawan curiously.

"It's actually a rotating position between several Masters," Dyuda explained. "No one wishes to serve in that post for too long. It is very difficult."

"I can understand that," Toolay agreed. "The Sector Sub-Committees are notorious. One wonders that Coruscant is inhabitable at all, if their politics are even half as vicious as people say they are."

Obi-Wan had no experience with Coruscant's Sector Sub-Committees, but he certainly knew about them. Since the surface of Coruscant was completely covered by its continuous city, leaving none of the planet's original ecology left, the management and recycling of air, water and solids of the whole planet was directed through a planetary Ecology Committee. Under that, the planet was divided into thousands of sectors, each of which was managed by it's own Sub-Committee. A structure as large as the Jedi Temple was not only expected to maintain it's own ecological balance, it was also required to fulfill air, water and solids quotas that contributed to the immediate area and the environment of the whole planet.

Plum and Toolay shared anecdotes about petty committee members and political back-stabbing. Qui-Gon and Narimoyak grimaced and expressed dismay over the horror stories.

Obi-Wan silently listened and ate. He dutifully recognized the importance of the ecological balance of Coruscant was, but the details comprised the core of some of the most tedious, boring and mind-numbing studies that any Padawan Learner had to endure. Qui-Gon had instructed him to both respect those details, and to stay as far away from them as possible. Qui-Gon taught by example on the second point for which Obi-Wan was most grateful.

Obi-Wan realized that Dyuda Plum's deceased Master must have been very senior and his illness easily could have been related to his age. Temple operations were mostly directed by elder Masters not inclined to be sent off-planet on missions all the time.

"I have known quite a few servants of the government who are worthy and honorable in their profession," Qui-Gon said, nodding toward Toolay, acknowledging her own professional status. "And sometimes I have had the misfortune of dealing with some who are. . . . not."

Toolay smiled, accepting the implied compliment, "You don't have to tell me about those types of people. I work with them every day. I do envy that you only sometimes have to deal with them." She put her cup down and gestured toward Qui-Gon. "And you are. . . . ?"

"Qui-Gon Jinn." He indicated Obi-Wan, who was helping himself to a plin-sugar cookie. "And this my apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"That's Kokom, next to you," Narimoyak said, pointing. The small Padawan, still covered up under her robe, straightened. "And that lump over there is her Master, Tekta."

Toolay froze. Her face paled.

"Tekta?" Toolay whispered.

She turned and they all looked toward the brown robe in the corner. The quiet snoring had stopped. Three eyes pushed their way out from under the hood of the robe.

"Narimoyak, you have a big mouth," Tekta announced in a grating, annoyed voice. She pushed her hood back

Obi-Wan, his mouth full of cookie, quickly looked back at Toolay. She gasped. He felt a wave of panic through the Force.

"Enjoying your lunch?" Tekta asked. "_Irma?_"

Weakly crying out, Toolay pushed back in her seat, away from the newly revealed Jedi Master. Then she leapt up and fled the room.

"Aaaaaauuuuuugggghhhh!!!" Simultaneously throwing her robe off and leaping completely over the table with a huge and sudden push of the Force, Tekta followed.

"Kokom, keep these idiots here while I handle this!"

Obi-Wan had an impression of a swirl of white and green, blue and red, before Tekta disappeared through the door after the terrified lawyer.

Qui-Gon was next out of his seat. He swept one arm before him, pushing the door open again with the Force. He scooped up Kokom, who was uselessly trying to bar their way, with his other arm.

"_AAAAAAAAIIIIIIIEEEEEEOOOOEEEEEOOOOAAAAIIIIIIIIIEEEEE!!!!!!!_"

Obi-Wan stumbled, covering his ears from the horrible sound suddenly assaulting him. He managed to avoid colliding into Qui-Gon, who was also bent over in the doorway. But Dyuda didn't.

The Ikto's heavy body crashed into his back and they both fell.

**- - end Part 2 - -**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disparate Jedi**

by ardavenport

**- - Part 3 - -**

"_AAAAIIIIIEEEEEEOOOOIIIIIEEEOOOIIIIIIIIIEEEEEAAAA!!!!!_"

Rolling onto his back, away from Dyuda, Obi-Wan pressed his hands and thick folds of his sleeves over his ears. Above him, Qui-Gon was turning around in circles, uselessly trying to get at Kokom, who had his arm pinned to his back while she clung to his body, her legs wrapped around his thigh. The Jedi Master's free hand groped through two robes, unable to get a grip on the tiny Padawan underneath.

"_EEEEEEOOOOIIIIIEEEOOOEEEEEAAAA- - - -!!!!!_"

Qui-Gon immediately stopped spinning as soon as Narimoyak's hand clamped tight over Kokom's face. The older woman stood tall in the doorway; the rest of them had fallen or stumbled into the corridor.

Kokom's face bulged outward; Narimoyak's long, pale nails dug into her cheeks. She bent forward and pointed a finger between two extremely attentive eyestalks.

"Padawan. Stop making that noise," she commanded, her voice low and threatening. Kokom's bright blue eyes bulged back at her.

"I realize," Narimoyak continued, "that your Master told you to stop us. We shall speak with her about that. But for now, please detach yourself from Master Qui-Gon." A tiny squealing sound came from Kokom. Narimoyak increased the pressure on her face. The green coloring of the scales on Kokom's cheeks paled around the fingertips pressing into them.

Kokom slid down off of Qui-Gon's back. Narimoyak did not release her until her feet were on the ground and Qui-Gon had stepped away, stumbling over the robe that was half pulled off of him. Obi-Wan and Dyuda helped each other up off the deck. Seizing the hood and collar of Kokom's robe, Narimoyak marched her down the corridor. Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon and Dyuda followed, straightening their clothes as they went.

Tekta was standing in front of a closed fresher door. One of her eyes looked at them with disgust as she pounded on the door.

"There isn't any place for you to go to, so you might as well come out now!" she yelled. They heard muffled sounds inside, nothing distinct, but it sounded like weeping.

The heads of various species were peering out of the doors of other first class compartments along the corridor.

"Tekta, what are you doing?!" Narimoyak hissed in a low voice. She released Kokon, who rushed to stand behind her Master. The Zakrak woman glared at the elder Gran with furious, pale eyes.

"And _what are you wearing?!_" she finished, looking up and down at Tekta. Obi-Wan stared. They all did.

Over a pair of sturdy, dark brown Jedi boots, Tekta's stout body was draped in a swirl of brightly colored layers of floating fabric. It bulged and sagged unevenly over her bumps and curves. It was cinched at the waist by two belts that practically glowed a florescent green over the multi-colored dress. Her lightsaber hung from them, dragging them down on one side.

"Oh, do you like it?" Tekta challenged sarcastically. "It's the popular style on the islands on this planet. Everyone wears one. You should try it. Might brighten up that dour mood you always have."

Behind the two arguing women, Obi-Wan saw people in uniform appear from the ship-forward end of the corridor. The heads of the other passengers ducked back into their compartments at the sight of the advancing official presence.

A purple-skinned male in a fitted gray uniform stopped short of the locked fresher, his painted face dismayed. Two lower-ranking crew flanked him.

"Master Tekta, you said that you would do this quietly," the ship's captain almost pleaded.

"I _AM_ doing it quietly!!" The captain jumped back into his subordinates. Tekta whirled back to the fresher and opened it with a curt sweep of her arm. Paralyzed over the basin, Toolay looked up at the Jedi at the door.

"Time's up." Tekta seized the woman by the back of her hair and dragged her out. Toolay wailed piteously. "Have her luggage brought to out compartment." Shocked, the captain stared back at her. "Now!" He jumped and backed away, his crewmates already ahead of him.

Appalled, the four other Jedi stared and then went after Tekta as she hauled Toolay down the corridor. Kokom right behind her Master, cast fearful, blue-eyed glances back at them.

When Tekta let go of Toolay back in their compartment the woman dove toward the chairs, taking refuge in Tekta's seat by the viewport, as far away from the Jedi as she could get. Shocked, Obi-Wan watched her cry uncontrollably, clutching a white fresher cloth to her face. With her graying, gold-tinted hair and now blotchy face, she looked much older. She had pulled her legs up into a huddle in the seat, her tailored, pink suit bunched up around her. Dyuda Plum looked equally shocked. Kokom, standing behind her Master, looked miserable.

"I presume you have an explanation for this," Qui-Gon warned darkly. He towered over Tekta, but the Gran was completely unintimidated by her fellow Master's size.

"I've never known you to be cruel, Tekta. Rude, yes, but not cruel," Narimoyak glared at her.

"It was an act of kindness to get her out of sight as quickly as possible." Tekta scowled at them.

"I assume this has something to do for that 'special assignment' you're supposed to be doing for the Council," Narimoyak continued.

"Oh, yes." Tekta glowered at Toolay, whose volume of crying had begun to subside. The older Gran huffed and went to lean on a chair armrest. "I didn't want to do this at all until we got back to Coruscant. But that damn Council decided that I needed help," she complained loudly.

"You didn't want to do what?" Qui-Gon asked, stepping forward. Tekta was still unimpressed by his height.

"Arrest her, of course." Her three eyes glared up at the larger man and then at the young Padawan at her side. "You'd better not have hurt Kokom. She was only doing what I told her to."

Qui-Gon rolled his eyes. "I assure you, Master Tekta, that your Padawan was far more in danger of causing us an injury." Tekta grinned up at him.

"Ha! After she gets the knack of putting the Force behind that unholy siren yell of hers, she'll stop you in your tracks in an instant." She patted Kokom's shoulder and poked at Qui-Gon's middle.

"Arrest her for what, Tekta?" Narimoyak demanded, exasperated by the delay.

The door chimed.

It slid aside revealing a nervous and junior crew member with a droid. They all stepped aside as it pushed in a lifter cart. There were three, plain black travel cases. Tekta raised her eyes.

"Well, that was quick."

"We stored them separate from the other passenger luggage, as you requested," the purple-hued crew member said from the safety of the doorway.

"Oh, yes. I did," Tekta muttered to remind herself. She had the droid push aside the middle-sized case by a wall, leaving the largest one standing before the table with the smallest case on top of it. The droid and the crew member left.

"Could you please move all that stuff, Kokom?" Tekta asked. The young girl went to the table and pushed back the remains of their meal while Tekta clicked open the closures on the smaller case. They crowded close, looking over her shoulders. The Gran rummaged through bottles of body wash and tubes of other personal hygiene gels, a jewelry case, a folded hat and small accessories.

"Ah," Tekta said. From the bottom of the case, she pulled out a lightsaber.

It had a silver body with a black emitter shield, a rough, silver hand grip with gold switches and a scratched pommel. Tekta turned it over, her dark, skinny fingers tracing details on it. Her fellow Masters' expressions changed. Both of them now looked critically toward the woman huddled by the viewport.

Obi-Wan frowned. It wasn't illegal to own a lightsaber, but there were Republic laws against buying and selling any saber made by a Jedi, and it was absolutely forbidden by the Jedi Code as well. This one looked authentic, though a good counterfeit could fool even a close inspection.

"The Council wanted us here to help you track down a stray lightsaber?" Narimoyak asked.

"You haven't seen it all yet." Tekta handed the smaller case off to Kokom, who put it by the wall. She put the saber down on the table and then nudged them all back to open the largest case. A panel slid open at the top and Tekta began pulling things out. A green blouse, red slippers, underclothes, leggings. It all landed around the two cases by the wall. With her arm all the way in, Tekta grunted with satisfaction. She pulled out a boot.

It was tall and medium brown, with a heavy sole and calf straps. Dyuda looked down at his own feet and Obi-Wan saw immediately that his fellow Padawan's boots were very similar to the one Tekta held up. The Gran fished out the first boot's mate from the case. She put the pair of them next to the lightsaber.

Tekta next began pulling out heavy faded brown fabric. More and more of it emerged in a big pile, spilling over the edge of the case. When the last of it had been pulled free, Tekta shook it out and held it up. Dyuda and Narimoyak stared at it, open-mouthed and Obi-Wan was quite sure that his expression was equally surprised. Qui-Gon folded his arms before him and looked down on it, his brow crinkled with concern.

It was a Jedi robe.

"Administrator Gelemas Toolay, in the name of the Republic, you are under arrest," Tekta announced. "For impersonating a Jedi."

**- - end Part 3 - -**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disparate Jedi**

by ardavenport

**- - Part 4 - -**

Tekta continued pulling things out and tossing them aside until she had everything she was looking for. She separated out beige underclothes, a long tan undertunic, a long, dusty-brown outer tunic, slightly darker tabards and obi and a belt with pouches and a clip for the saber. Everything looked authentic, even the contents of the pouches. Qui-Gon took a food capsule and held it up to one from his own belt. They looked identical. He tossed the one from the travel case onto the pile on the table. Tekta held up the long tunic to her own body.

"It's a pity this is evidence," she said. "This looks like it might fit me." She held it out. "Not a bad color, I suppose."

"It's certainly better than that mishmash you've got on." Narimoyak grimaced before casting a withering glare toward Toolay. Qui-Gon's expression was of disgust at finding something rotten under a respectable surface.

Something strange and false had been going on in his presence and Obi-Wan felt stunned that he hadn't known. While Qui-Gon and Dyuda pushed the larger case to the wall with the other things, Obi-Wan looked carefully at Toolay. Her graying-blond head was turned away from them, her face a shadowed reflection on the viewport against the swirls of hyperspace outside the ship. He sensed total loss, a personal devastation in the woman. Her whole life had ended and he felt empty of any sympathy for her.

"So, that was all lies. About working for Judiciary Enforcement," Narimoyak said, folding her arms before her.

"She was well informed about that," Dyuda noted with a touch of appreciation.

"No." Tekta announced. "It wasn't." She folded the tunic and put it back on the pile on the gold tabletop. "This really is the Director of Trademark Enforcement for the Central Government. She has thirty years of service with the Republic." Tekta's skinny arm waved out to the cringing woman. "That's why this is such a big problem."

Surprised, Obi-Wan looked down again at the faked clothes on the table and the appropriated lightsaber. People who assumed other identities almost always did it for criminal purposes, or to illegally appropriate a better life for themselves without earning it. People who already had respectable lives, who still assumed secret identities, did it for fun or adventure or hidden personal reasons. Obi-Wan remembered the fear he had first sensed from the woman now cowering by the viewport. She had known what she had been doing was wrong. She could not possibly say otherwise; she was a lawyer. Yet she had done it anyway.

"And you were sent by the Council to apprehend her," Qui-Gon concluded.

"I wasn't supposed to find her at all!" Tekta snapped back. "Kokom and I were just making inquiries. The Temple's been hearing about 'Master Irma' for years, but nobody could figure out who was doing it." Kokom nodded agreement with her Master. "It wasn't for the usual reasons of fraud or profit, or the Republic investigators might have caught her by now.

"She would just show up on some comfortable planet with nice scenery, make friends, impress the locals and dispense a little Jedi wisdom. She'd always say she wasn't allowed to talk about whatever 'mission' she was supposed to be on. She'd make herself look busy anyway, but whatever she did with her time never connected or amounted to anything. After a few days she'd just move on and awhile later show up on some other planet in a whole other sector of the galaxy. Half a standard year might go by before she'd turn up again.

"I was just making reservations at a boarding house that she stayed at a few years ago when the owner told me that she was back. She's never returned to any place she's appeared at. Until now." Tekta pursed her thin lips. "It must have been that legal problem she was sent on that tempted her. Those islands are nice.

"Kokom and I got rid of our clothes so we could get close to her and sneak a good enough holo for an identification." Kokom's bright blue eyes looked upward as Tekta patted her Padawan's shoulder. "I had to swear out a warrant to get the planetary enforcers to cross-reference it with the most recent passenger manifests for every spaceport in this system, but once we found her, everything fell into place." Tekta picked at the things on the table as she spoke. "She's a good actor, too. She played the part of a wise Jedi Master better than I've seen you do it sometimes." Two of Tekta's eyes squinted at Narimoyak. The Zabrak woman held her hairless, horned head up high, obviously offended.

"She's a fake. And I don't know why you didn't arrest her before now."

"Because I knew _this_ would happen," Tekta bit back. "She wasn't trying to hurt anyone and she wasn't doing it for profit. Unmasking her was going to destroy her whole life. And I don't care to see that kind of thing for any reason and I wanted to put it off until we got back to Coruscant. She wasn't going to get away in the meantime."

"You feel sorry for her," Narimoyak said critically to her friend.

"Of course I do!" Tekta put her hands on her hips, her three eyes raised, her ears back. "I had to spend a little time with her and get close enough to search her rooms. She's very pleasant company. She's got her Jedi history down better than I do and she must have studied those holos of the Temple, and she already knows Coruscant." Tekta pressed her thin lips together and made a face. "And she isn't any more sensitive to the Force than a droid is, but she can make a pretty good pretense about it with a reversible repulsor unit up her sleeve."

"She used trickery, too?" the Zabrak Master's expression darkened further.

"That's how the Council reacted," Tekta scoffed. "When they found out I had her, they wanted to send a whole strike team to go after one sad woman who wanted to pretend she was something she wasn't. Now we're stuck with her as our prisoner for the rest of the trip. I was _hoping_ that you would all be the silent, stoic Jedi for the ride back."

They all looked at each other. Kokom took the seat furthest away from Toolay and sat down.

"This ship must have a holding area," Narimoyak suggested.

"Oh, and which one of us is going to stay with her? Are you volunteering?" Tekta demanded. "We can't leave her alone now." Tekta went to the door of the compartment and slapped the service panel. "The Council wanted me to have help, and you've already 'helped' me as much as I can stand, so I think that sitting here for the rest of the trip should be enough for all of us."

"What are you doing?" Narimoyak asked.

The door chime sounded. The silver droid stood in the doorway when the panel slid aside.

"I'm hungry. I don't have to hide in my robe now while you people fill your stomachs." Tekta asked for nearly the same meal that Dyuda had. "Kokom, what would like?" The young girl hesitated.

"Come on. We're traveling on first class tickets, so you can have anything you like. A Jedi doesn't let a chance like that go by." Kokom shyly grinned back at her Master and asked for an extra large bowl of spicy eket, poth leaves, moolutee custard and water. The droid left to get the food.

Dyuda Plum let out a sigh and silently went back to the table. Kokom pulled back into her seat as his broad body edged past to the other seat by the viewport, across from Toolay. After seating himself, he carefully slid some of the dishes that had been pushed aside toward him and began reassembling his place setting. At one point he stopped and bent over. He came up with a handful of Tekta's discarded robe. Toolay started when he tugged it out from under her. He passed the large wad of brown fabric to Kokom, who held it up for her Master.

While Master Tekta shook her robe out, Qui-Gon slid in past Kokom to sit next to Dyuda. He reached for his teapot. Tekta finished with her robe, put it on and took the seat between Qui-Gon and Kokom.

Narimoyak glared at the casual resumption of lunch. Then she took a seat and sat rigidly staring forward. Across from her, Kokom's eye stalks ducked lower, as if to get under and away from that harsh, pale glare.

The only seat left was the one next to Toolay. Obi-Wan stared at it. Qui-Gon's dark blue eyes flicked up toward him. He looked a little regretful, as if he were offering to change seats. Obi-Wan didn't think he could ask his Master to do that.

He felt as if all the emotion had bled out of the room; all the color was gone. Even Toolay felt numb through the Force. Dyuda and Qui-Gon made little clinking sounds with the eating scoops and cups. The hot food had gone cold and the cold food was lukewarm. All the savory aromas had dissipated. With a little nod to his Master, Obi-Wan silently edged past Narimoyak and took the last seat.

Jedi were supposed to adapt to any situation with calm, unemotional detachment. Obi-Wan knew what that felt like. This was not it. He silently drew his own dishes to himself and nibbled at his bread and meils. He wasn't very hungry anymore, but it gave him something to do with his hands, something that he could fill the silence with.

To satisfy his own curiosity, Obi-Wan extended his senses toward Administrator Toolay. He felt no strength at all in the Force from her. Imagining her, an otherwise perfectly ordinary living being, wearing a robe and lightsaber was. . . . disturbing. Obi-Wan's eyes looked toward Qui-Gon, who sighed, but said nothing as he unhappily regarded Toolay as well. Obi-Wan didn't really know what he wanted him to say, at least, not in front of the woman next to him.

An arm reached for the plate of cana sticks. Narimoyak's light brown tunic sleeve dragged over Obi-Wan's bread. He started and she withdrew immediately.

"Uuunngghh," she grunted. Across from them, Tekta's three eyes gleamed with amusement. Obi-Wan pushed Narimoyak's meal and drink to the center of the table where she could reach it, but she didn't.

The door chimed and the droid entered with more food, which Tekta and especially Kokom, eagerly accepted.

Munch-munch-munch-crunch-MUNCH-crunch-munch-MUNCH-munch.

Kokom's meal was a huge bowl of crunchy bugs and nuts, with a side dish of crispy green leaves. It was clearly something that was impossible to eat quietly. Obi-Wan suppressed a grin. It was the first time he had seen the small green Padawan smile as she happily ate. Tekta smiled down at her Padawan before she began eating her own much quieter stew. Kokom must have been hungry while remaining concealed under her robe, but Obi-Wan had not seen her cast one wayward look toward anyone else's food.

Munch-MUNCH-MUNCH-munch-munch-MUNCH-munch-MUNCH-CRUNCH.

The beginnings of a grin had spread to Qui-Gon's lips as he sipped his tea and looked down at the little Padawan eating next to him with such abandon. Dyuda's brow raised and he tilted his head to observe the activity.

Next to him, Master Narimoyak's tension increased and Obi-Wan now suppressed a laugh. He slowly and carefully sipped his juice to hide the impulse. He couldn't explain where the discomfort and stress had gone. It seemed as if Kokom had let it all go and everyone else had been dragged along with her, except for Narimoyak. Inexplicably, Obi-Wan found that funny. A couple of freeze-dried bugs has slipped over the edge of the bowl onto the gold tabletop. Their little yellow legs stuck out in all directions, and in his side-vision, Obi-Wan saw Narimoyak glaring at them.

MUNCH-CRUNCH-crunch-munch-munch-MUNCH-munch-CRUNCH-munch.

"Master, will you be eating your cana sticks?" Dyuda's deep voice inquired. Narimoyak turned her head toward him.

"No."

Dyuda reached over and pulled the plate toward him. He picked up one thick pink stick.

CCCCCRRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUNNCCCHHH!!!!

Even Kokom paused in the middle of her industrious eating to peer at the older Padawan. Obi-Wan's juice sprayed out in front of him.

Sipping juice really wasn't a very good method for covering up a laugh.

Master Narimoyak had already proven that one could eat cana sticks quietly, which meant that Dyuda had made that noise on purpose.

Narimoyak slammed her hand down hard on the table.

"Padawan!"

"Hahahahahahahahaha!!" Master Tekta didn't try to cover up her laugh at all. Qui-Gon had lowered his head and he rubbed his beard and mustache, his hand conveniently covering his mouth.

"This is _not_ amusing, Tekta," Narimoyak warned, her tone low. Kokom's eyestalks lowered.

"No it isn't." Tekta's mirth transformed to anger in an instant, her three eyes glaring back at Narimoyak's challenge. "_This_ is why I didn't want you here at all." She pointed an accusing finger at the Zabrak. "I knew you'd react like this."

Narimoyak sat back. "So, this is about _me_?"

"Of course it is. If my duty to the Order demands that I crush some sad, pathetic woman's life, then I will do it, but I _won't_ do it with your kind of attitude. I've had enough of that from the Council. She wasn't trying to hurt anybody and she wasn't doing it for gain. And _you_ complained about _me_ being cruel to her, too." Tekta jabbed with her finger for emphasis.

Narimoyak's expression hardened.

"She shouldn't be carrying a lightsaber. She could have hurt herself," she stated, her tone flat and devoid of any concern for the danger to Toolay.

"Not likely," Tekta countered. She got up, hustled over to the travel cases and came back with the lightsaber from them. "Look at this." Holding the emitter up and away from her, she clicked the attenuator and flicked the switch on and off. Nothing happened. Tekta turned the saber over and gave the body of it a hard twist, unscrewing the end. The heavy cylindrical power core slid out. Tekta grunted.

"Mine's different. Padawan, give me yours." Eyestalks alert and fearful, Kokom fumbled in the folds of her robe before placing her own lightsaber in her Master's outstretched hand. Tekta swiftly disassembled the end and extracted the power core which was nearly identical to the one that had come out of the other saber, which Tekta reassembled. She held it up again and flicked the switch.

It hummed too loudly and it had awful, high frequency flicker in it, but the blade was bright and straight and green. For the first time, Administrator Toolay turned away from the swirl of hyperspace beyond the viewport and stared at the restored saber, the symbol of the Jedi that she was not.

Tekta nodded. "It's a real one alright. You might be able to mitigate your sentence if you say who your dealer was," the Gran Jedi Master said. Toolay looked away again. Obi-Wan grimaced at the badly tuned saber. He saw similar expressions from Qui-Gon and Dyuda, but Kokom only looked down at the two halves of her own saber, discarded on the tabletop.

Tekta turned off the illicit lightsaber and gave the power core back to her Padawan. While Kokom eagerly reassembled her own weapon, Tekta held up the original core.

"There's nothing wrong with it. It's new. It's just never been charged. She never intended to use it, or even pretend to."

"That only means that she's smart enough to not risk accidentally dismembering herself," Narimoyak sneered. There were plenty of stories about toughs or ruffians looking to boost their reputation with the weapon of the renowned Jedi, only to accidentally cut off a limb with it. Without the Force to guide the hand of the wielder, a lightsaber was more of a danger to the user than any enemy.

"Walking around with a weapon that doesn't work carries it's own risks," Narimoyak finished.

Tekta sighed, accepting that last argument as she reassembled the other saber.

"Why did you do it?"

Obi-Wan turned at the sudden sound of Dyuda's deep voice; the other Jedi at the table looked as well. The Ikto Padawan had Toolay's attention; she stared fearfully back into his dark green eyes. Obi-Wan sensed the subtle influence of the Force, extended toward the woman.

They all waited to hear an answer. Toolay suddenly inhaled, seeming to break the spell.

"Under Republic law I have the right to refuse to make any statements until I have proper representation from counsel. I shall avail myself of that right." She turned away, back to the nameless shapes of hyperspace.

Dyuda looked disappointed that his attempt to influence information from the woman had failed.

Tekta nodded. "She is a lawyer."

Obi-Wan heard movement behind him; Master Narimoyak forced herself past him. Shocked, he pushed back in his seat, away from her.

"Why did you do it?" Narimoyak bent forward, not touching, but her head level with Toolay's, her voice demanding an answer. Paralyzed, Toolay just stared back.

"Why?!" the Zabrak pressed. Obi-Wan winced. Even though it was not directed at him, he still sensed the power of the Jedi Master's pressure on the woman next to him. He saw Qui-Gon rising from his seat.

"Narimoyak, stop that!" Tekta shouted. One skinny arm grabbed Narimoyak's collar and pulled her back. Tekta pushed her fellow Jedi away from the table.

"It doesn't matter why she did it. It's over. She's done!" Narimoyak straightened, tall and slender and proud, her horned head standing out against the gold door, but her pale eyes now looked hurt. "Why do you care?" Tekta demanded.

"I don't know." Her voice was emotionless; the aggression had melted away. Tekta silently stared back, waiting for more of an answer. Waiting. . . .waiting. . . .

**- - end Part 4 - -**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disparate Jedi**

by ardavenport

**- - Part 5 - -**

"She doesn't know, why she did it," Dyuda's voice broke the silence. Still standing, Qui-Gon looked down at him. Obi-Wan was confused. Who was he talking about?

Hands clasped before him, one blunt finger pointed toward Toolay. "Or she doesn't know how to say it. She might be able to later, especially after talking to her own lawyers, but for now. . . ." Dyuda lowered his eyes, his thoughts clearly turned inward. "Her actions are part of her. Even without a reason that can be spoken. That must be found later." His dark green eyes found his Master's. "Sometimes, we just do the things we must. And sometimes, we don't know how to do anything else."

Narimoyak's eyes had gone sad. "This wasn't a momentary act of violence or crisis. She planned her actions, for years, and acted on them." Confused about what she was talking about, Obi-Wan watched the exchange between Master to Padawan. He saw the same look of confusion on Qui-Gon's face and on those of Kokom and Tekta.

Dyuda smiled back. "Things that go unspoken don't have words. It takes time to find them." Narimoyak's expression softened, became almost kind.

"It does." She turned back to Tekta. "I don't know why I want to know why she did it." She sighed. "I shall have to accept that she did." She bowed her head, then walked around Tekta and went back to her seat. Obi-Wan stared at her and then at Dyuda, who contentedly contemplated the remains of his lunch before him. Qui-Gon silently glowered from one to the other before taking his seat again.

"Hmmmff!" Tekta went back to her seat and flopped down. She pointed at her friend. "I am not asking now," one eye flicked toward Toolay, "but when I do, Narimoyak, I hope you will have decided whether or not you're going to tell me what _that_ was all about." She leaned forward on her elbows and then snatched the few bugs that had fallen out of Kokom's bowl and popped them in her mouth.

"Pretty good," she nodded approval toward her little Padawan and then began finishing her own meal. Neither Dyuda nor Narimoyad moved, though they both seemed content. Obi-Wan looked toward his own Master for an answer. He replied with a tiny shake of his head. Obi-Wan sensed sympathy, a small consolation to his curiosity. Qui-Gon offered him one of his cookies.

Munch-crunch-munch-munch-crunch-crunch-munch.

Kokom resumed her meal with less vigor, though it was unclear if this was because she was disturbed by the confrontation or just less hungry than she had been earlier.

They finished their meal with few other words spoken. Obi-Wan caught Toolay watching them in the reflection on the viewport. He supposed that their prisoner wondered what had happened just as much as he did.

The droid came back and cleared the remains of their meal. The Administrator did accept some water. Afterwards, Obi-Wan went to the fresher and he was surprised when Dyuda joined him.

"You are wondering what happened." Dyuda stated in the corridor, without turning toward him.

"Um, I know it's not my place to ask," Obi-Wan answered neutrally.

"Thank you." He nodded, his dark horns dipping below his shoulders. "But if I may ask. . . ." They each stood at two separate fresher doors. They were alone in the corridor. "Master Narimoyak said that she knew you, intimately, but not very well at all. Can you tell me. . . . what she meant by that?"

"Um. . . . " Obi-Wan paused for the right words. "Master Qui-Gon and I rescued Master Narimoyak from the transport crash that killed her last Padawan." Obi-Wan didn't want to say 'last Padawan' but his mind had gone blank about what her name had been, though he vividly remembered her in death.

Dyuda did not seem to notice the uncomfortable term. "Aaaaah." He seemed satisfied. "Thank you." He disappeared into his own fresher and Obi-Wan went on to his own business.

The rest of their trip was uneventful with little conversation other than a few comments from Tekta about the 'Island dresses' that she and her Padawan were wearing. Nobody wanted to speak of anything of any importance again with Toolay in the room.

After the ship came out of hyperspace they all suddenly realized that they needed to reassemble Toolay's luggage so that the Judiciary enforcers could take it away when they came for her. There was some confusion about what things had come from which case until Toolay herself, apparently frustrated with listening to six Jedi trying to figure out what to do with her personal things, yelled at them that the 'evidence' would all fit into the smaller case and everything else could go into the larger one. That was the last time she spoke to them.

It was all put away by the time they landed. Administrator Toolay had composed herself by the time the uniformed enforcers arrived at their compartment, though Obi-Wan sensed her facade almost break when she recognized the person leading the squad. With only a few fleeting promises to Tekta to contact her later for testimony, they left, hustling their former colleague away in a tight formation.

Obi-Wan watched them go. It was early evening, but the landing platform and the buildings towering over it were brightly lit. Night was only less evenly illuminated than day in the perpetual city. Toolay disappeared behind stiff-backed uniforms as they boarded an official vehicle. He knew, very likely, that he would never see her again. Unless he made an inquiry, he wouldn't hear whatever happened to her. He felt unsatisfied by that, but he knew that there wasn't any more. He felt nothing for or against her, but Obi-Wan really did not ever wish to meet Administrator Gelemas Toolay again.

There was a tug at his sleeve. He looked to his left.

"Obi-Wan, we have to go," Kokom pointed to the transport that the others were heading toward. He nodded and the two younger Padawans followed to go back to the Jedi Temple.

./\//''\\/\./\//''\\/\./\//''\\/\./\//''\\/\./\//''\\/\./\//''\\/\./\//''\\/\./\//''\\/\.

The next morning, Obi-Wan Kenobi saw in the Temple announcements and notices that Dyuda Plum had been elevated to the status of Jedi Knight.

Obi-Wan looked down at the glowing square screen that Qui-Gon had slid over to him during the first meal of the day. Then he looked up at Qui-Gon. His Master had no explanation, but he agreed that whatever silent confrontation had gone on between Narimoyak and her then Padawan the day before likely had something to do with it.

Obi-Wan did not understand at all. Knighthood came after a Padawan passed their Trials. Had Master Narimoyak taken Dyuda Plum directly to his Trials as soon as they had parted after returning to the Temple the night before? He pressed his lips together.

"Will you be speaking with Master Narimoyak later?" he asked. Padawans never, ever asked about the specifics of any of their peers' Trials, but as a Master, Qui-Gon was perfectly free to discuss it with his fellow Master. The older Jedi simply smiled. He obviously knew what Obi-Wan was hinting about.

"Possibly, but I do not believe that I will need to ask."

**- - end Part 5 - -**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disparate Jedi**

by ardavenport

**- - Part 6 - -**

Thankfully, Obi-Wan did not have much time to wonder over his Master's non-answer while he spent his next few hours with flight simulators with several other Padawans and some of their Masters. They were only familiarizing themselves with a variety of different transport and ship controls since using the Force in a simulator was not the same at all as in the real crafts. That would come the next day.

Qui-Gon had passed up this training in favor of a trip to Archives to look up the Living History Lands on Pozph-Din and the Defeat of Darth Yarr. They had collected some significant artifacts on their mission and he had already delivered them to the Archives the night before, but he still needed to record the events of their mission. The final disposition of the artifacts would be settled and Obi-Wan knew that Qui-Gon wanted to satisfy his own interest in that world's curious history and customs as well.

When he finished with the simulators, Obi-Wan found a com waiting for him, requesting his presence at a Temple visiting hall. He took a lift to the Temple's base level.

"Obi-Wan." Obi-Wan turned at the sound of the familiar voice. It was not a shout or call, but loud enough for a Jedi to hear, even in the immense Temple corridor.

Dyuda Plum strode toward him. Obi-Wan smiled and he congratulated the former Padawan. Plum returned the greeting, nodding his horned head. The Ithok's braid was gone. They walked together, slowly down the columned walkway. Plum had also been called to the visitors' hall. They were to be interviewed by the Judiciary, collecting evidence about Administrator Toolay.

"There is no hurry, however. Master Tekta and Kokom are with them now and that could take some time." Obi-Wan noted Plum's leisurely pace. There were no other Jedi near them.

"Master Tekta was very prompt with her demand for an explanation about what transpired between myself and Master Narimoyak yesterday," Dyuda began. Obi-Wan carefully kept his expression neutral though he doubted that really concealed his intense curiosity from his fellow Jedi. "I thought it only appropriate to tell you and your Master as well, what happened." Dyuda smiled, showing his small brown teeth.

"I had suggested that you and your Master be invited to Master Narimoyak's gathering last night, but she was adamant that you or Master Qui-Gon would not be interested in attending. She did not wish to say why, but Master Tekta and a few other were quite happy to explain what happened the one time that you did." Obi-Wan smiled. After the death of Narimoyak's young Padawan, Qui-Gon had hosted a gathering with her and more than a dozen older Masters. The 'discussion' had degenerated into a colossal food fight in Qui-Gon's room, a huge embarrassment for the Jedi Masters. Neither of them had ever attended another such gathering, or spoken more than a few words to Narimoyak since then, until this last mission.

"I failed my Jedi Trials."

Obi-Wan turned, surprised by the sudden change in subject and the gravity of the statement. Dyuda Plum continued sedately walking down the corridor. Unable to think of a suitable reply, Obi-Wan fell in step with him again and waited for him to continue.

"It does happen at times. I am far from a rare case. But it isn't spoken of. One of many things." Dyuda stared ahead, his expression mild, thoughtful. In the quiet hall, far ahead of them, three Jedi walked together and disappeared around a corner.

"Master Yumang's death was my Trial." His eyes glanced toward Obi-Wan. "It was not an easy death, and I was to accept it, as a Jedi. I thought I had, but the end did not go as planned.

"Master Yumang developed a degenerative nerve disorder, common with aging in our species, but his illness was uncommonly aggressive. He lost his coordination first, his ability to feel the Force lessened, he lost weight and the scars and lesions throughout his body were painful, more than the droids could control, but Yumang always kept some command of it, even to the end.

"The Council sent me on a mission, when Master Yumang was most gravely ill. I knew I was being tested then. I went. Yumang might have died while I was gone.

"He didn't."

"When I returned and entered the Med-center, I felt as if it was filled with my Master's dying. It was everywhere, in the whole space of it." Dyuda fell silent. Still speechless, Obi-Wan waited. Another Jedi appeared and briskly walked toward them on the other side of the corridor, her dark robe spread out away from her. The Ithok waited until she passed before resuming.

"I destroyed the droids. And the life supports. Master Yumang died a few minutes later." Obi-Wan couldn't speak through the sadness he felt through the Force; even if he had known what to say, the words would not have come out.

They approached an intersection. A few other Jedi passed them, on their own business, none of them approaching close. If any of them sensed the intensity of what was being spoken of, they gave no hint of it as they serenely passed, brown robes dragging behind them.

"I was absolved of my Master's death; he would have been dead within hours in any case. And the Council confirmed that he died peacefully. But I could not say why I did it, nor could they, other than it was an apparent act of passion." Dyuda's green eyes looked to Obi-Wan. "Which is quite unacceptable for a Jedi Knight."

Obi-Wan swallowed. "Do you know why now?"

Dyuda sadly smiled. "Yes." They slowed, turned a corner, into a wider promenade, the ceiling high above them as they walked toward the main entrance at the base of the Temple. "I was surprised when Master Narimoyak couldn't explain why she needed to confront Toolay yesterday. I'm still not sure. But I understood action without reason. Then it seemed clear. Sometimes it takes time for the words to catch up. And sometimes they don't."

"Master Yumang was alone in the Med-center when I came to him. He didn't want to be alone, but he had sent everyone away. The disease had transformed his body into something that he was not. But he continued to live, and he didn't know why." Dyuda sighed.

"He simply wanted to be with someone when he died, but he didn't know how to ask; he did not know what was missing. And the droids repelled him." He grimaced.

"So you destroyed the droids?" Obi-Wan asked. Dyuda shrugged his broad shoulders.

"I don't think that Master Yumang would have chopped them up with a lightsaber. But it was the fastest way of eliminating them. There was little time."

They approached the main entryway to the Temple. Natural light streamed in from high above, brightening patches of the polished floor.

"I simply acted. Master Yumang was with someone when he died. But I was missing something. I had no doubt, no guilt, no regrets for my actions, and I could not say why.

"I couldn't say that I acted on an impulse from the Force," Dyuda continued.

"You were not?" Obi-Wan asked, thinking that this was surely the most logical explanation.

"No." Dyuda shook his head. "I knew there was more. My actions were based on what I sensed from Yumang through the Force, but they were not guided by it. Nor was I compelled by any influence from my Master." Dyuda stopped walking. "I could not give a reason for my actions, but I did know that they were my own choice. And I didn't even know how to say that."

Obi-Wan stood with him. There was no one else with them in the promenade.

"Obi-Wan when you spend your whole life letting your emotions pass through you, never letting them to become attached to you, then you are simply and truly not prepared for the times when they do." Dyuda smiled, obviously quite satisfied with this revelation. "And you are certainly not prepared to explain your actions to anyone else when that happens. The words are not there for you." He folded his arms before him.

"Master Narimoyak thanked me. She told me she had acted without thinking, when she confronted Toolay. And when her Padawan died; you and your Master were witnessed that," Dyuda acknowledged.

"And then she and the Council knighted me." Dyuda finished. He turned back toward their destination. Obi-Wan walked with him again.

"That sounds. . . . unexpected," he commented.

"I believe the Masters enjoy surprising their Padawans when they can." Obi-Wan silently agreed to that. "Knightings are always unique. And the other ceremonial parts of it are optional. At this point they would be anticlimactic." They approached the corridor leading to the meeting hall that they had been called to. They spotted Qui-Gon and Narimoyak, sitting together on a bench, next to the door of the meeting hall. They greeted each other and the two Masters slid down to make room.

They waited, silently in a row on the bench. Obi-Wan was quite certain that Qui-Gon now knew as much as he did about Dyuda's elevation, but he wondered how different the story was when told from Master Narimoyak's perspective.

When the door finally slid open, they all stood and a uniformed Judiciary inspector stepped out and invited them in. Tekta and Kokom were already there and they stayed while each of them took their turn on the glowing holo-platform to give their own statements about their encounter with Toolay. Narimoyak and Tekta exchanged a few quiet words; apparently their friendship had not been affected by the previous day's confrontation.

Their testimony was a short formality for each of them. Most of the important testimony had already been given by Tekta and Kokom. When they were finished, the inspectors thanked them.

Though no one asked about Administrator Toolay, one of the inspectors informed them that she had retained a very expensive and capable counsel and her position in the Judiciary had been terminated. None of the Jedi said a word about her.

They all bowed and filed out when they were done. While the others escorted the Judiciary officials and their droids to the Temple entrance, Qui-Gon suggested to Obi-Wan that they take a stroll before going on to the day's second meal.

They predictably ended up in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, one of Qui-Gon favorite places in the Temple. They walked in silence while Obi-Wan thought about what Dyuda had said about not having the words to explain his actions.

"I presume that Knight Dyuda told you what happened?" Qui-Gon's words interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes," he replied. Obi-Wan repeated to Qui-Gon what Dyuda had said. When he finished, he silently looked to his Master for confirmation, which he gave, along with a few other things.

The Jedi Council had been split on the decision to elevate Dyuda Plum, though none of them had thought that Plum's actions had been dark, just. . . .questionable. Narimoyak had been appointed as Dyuda's Master as the deciding vote. She had not been confident that the Force would lead her to solve the mystery, but had accepted the assignment as her duty.

"In the end, she realized that it was Dyuda who the Force would guide. She was merely there to witness it," Qui-Gon told him. "And we were as well."

Qui-Gon stopped and they faced a little pool surrounded by low, leafy bushes. A thin trickle of water squirted up and fell back into it.

"I don't understand something, Master," Obi-Wan finally said. Qui-Gon looked down at him inquiringly. "If there are times when you will be unprepared for emotions that you cannot detach yourself from, how do you prepare for them?"

Qui-Gon grinned. Obi-Wan lowered his head. He had not intended to say anything amusing. Qui-Gon laid his hand on his shoulder.

"You don't Obi-Wan. The definition of things that cannot be anticipated is that you cannot prepare for them. The best that can be done is to recognize them when they happen and find the words for them later. Especially if your actions affect others."

Obi-Wan looked up to his Master's bearded face.

"Dyuda was prepared for his Master's death, but his Master was not," Qui-Gon continued. "That is why he acted and what he needed to find words for. Master Narimoyak told me that she felt deeply offended when she discovered what Administrator Toolay had done. She felt betrayed. She did not recognize the depth of her own feelings before she acted.

"Even Administrator Toolay, in her own way, found her own words for her actions." Qui-Gon turned back to the little pool.

"She did?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Yes." Qui-Gon nodded. "She got herself a good lawyer."

**- - - END - - -**

(This story was first posted on tf.n: 16-Nov-2006)

**Disclaimer:** All characters and situations belong to George and Lucasfilm; I'm just playing in their sandbox.


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